


By the Fire

by NanoTwentyFaces



Category: RWBY
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Maria is now Oscar's grandmother, Post Volume 6 episode 4, Written Pre-Episode 5
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-23
Updated: 2018-11-23
Packaged: 2019-08-27 22:24:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16711168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NanoTwentyFaces/pseuds/NanoTwentyFaces
Summary: After arriving at the Brunswick farmhouse, Oscar separates himself from the group, though Maria doesn't let this take place so easily.





	By the Fire

**Author's Note:**

> This was written before episode 5 premiered, so definitely is not canon-compliant. Just something to comfort after the events of episode 4.

Oscar made quick to make himself scarce once everyone was inside the farmhouse. The prying eyes, passive looks, and attitudes from everyone around was too much. He didn’t want this. He didn’t want everyone to hate him, much less for something that he couldn’t control. It wasn’t his fault that he couldn’t bring Ozpin back out. He still barely understood anything about how their switching worked. 

Everything had been going so well. This whole “mission” was terrifying at first, but up until the train crash, it hadn’t been that bad. He felt safe, he felt at home, he felt like he could actually do something.

 

He didn’t feel alone.

 

Now, he just wanted to disappear, and even feeling like no one would care; they’d be better off. Any connection that he once had with any of them was gone now, all because of Ozpin’s secrets. Avoiding the group as they all began to settle into the living area, Qrow looking to start a fire in the fireplace, Oscar slinked up the stairs to the second floor. 

The old house wasn’t in that bad of condition. There was dust everywhere, some spots on the walls implying there were once pictures there, and some creaky floorboards. Thankfully, all the windows were secure, no cracks in sight to let the cold or snow in. Down the hall, Oscar found an empty room. A bare mattress sat on an old bed frame, nightstand beside it, and lamp on top. The rest was barren with more dust, and a few mouse traps in the corner. Sighing, and taking another look behind him (hoping no one had noticed him to avoid more confrontation), he entered the room, closing the door behind him quietly. 

He waited a few moments, hand still on the knob, listening if anyone had yet heard him. The silence gave him the answer, either that or they didn’t bother following. A shuddered breath escaped him as he let go of the knob. Everything had been building up inside him and felt ready to overflow. He was sure that it was his pain. But, at the same time he questioned if it was still Ozpin’s pain; their pain? Squeezing his eyes shut, Oscar shook his head, walking over to the mattress, dropping his backpack down on it, and climbing on top. 

The bed was positioned, with its side against the wall, letting Oscar curl up in the corner, knees up to his chest, arms around them. The storm howled outside the window by the nightstand. Nothing but white could be seen where Oscar sat. 

The emptiness of the room, the emptiness mirrored in his head where the old headmaster usually was to say some quip or some kind of advice, now silent. What was going to happen now? If Ozpin was just going to stay locked away in the back of his head forever, what was he supposed to do? He was still barely a fighter, understanding his (their) aura, and new to everything. Until now, he’d never realized just how much he had been relying on Ozpin; the muscle memory, training, and constant form of conversation. Having him hear all his thoughts and talking to him constantly was annoying a lot, he didn’t want somebody else in his thoughts. But now, with him locked away, he hated the silence. Ozpin’s presence was still there, he could feel it, but now there was a wall between them, one he had no idea how to get through. 

Now he was alone both in his mind, and on the outside. Maybe, except for Ruby, but would that even last at this point? What would Jaune, Ren, and Nora think once they meet up with them? Would they hate him (them?) too? Why did they have to equate him to Ozpin in the first place? Why couldn’t they see the difference? 

The ache in his chest grew, finding its way into his throat as he continued watching the just barely visible snow. He reached up, rubbing his cheek again. It still hurt, there may even be a bruise forming since he didn’t even think about using his aura to heal it back in the woods. Closing his eyes, he tried to focus on doing just that. He could feel the spot start to tingle. Just keep concentrating. 

He grit his teeth as his aura flickered in and out. Concentrate. Just heal it, it’s just a small bruise. He let out a frustrated grunt, hitting his head back against the wall. There were too many thoughts in his head. Too many emotions. Did he even want to heal his cheek? Or was it Ozpin’s feelings bleeding through again; feeling he doesn’t deserve to have an injury as small as it healed? 

“What am I supposed to do?!” Oscar choked out, trying to keep his voice down. “How am I supposed to handle all of this?” He gripped at his hair, rocking back into the wall again. He just wanted answers. He just wanted somebody to answer him. Talk to him. Say anything to  _ him _ . Look at  _ him _ .

He finally let the tears fall out, curling up against the wall, his hands moving to his face. The sobs echoed in the empty room, constantly reminding him of how alone he was right now. The wall was cold against the side of his head, heated from crying, his eyes beginning to burn, and even more so as he scrubbed at the tears. His chest heaved with the quick breaths as he tried to control his quickened breathing. 

Eventually, the cries slowed down, his breathing slowing, tears finally running out, as he slumped against the wall, listening to the howl of the wind outside. 

 

~ ~

 

Maria carefully opened the door to the bedroom, peering inside (well as best as she could). She found just what, more so  _ who _ , she was looking for. It was dark outside now, the sun setting an hour or so ago, a small lantern in her hand being the only light. Across the room, sitting curled up in the corner on the mattress was Oscar. He didn’t move as she opened the door fully, stepping into the room. The closer she got, she could see the young boy’s eyes closed, asleep. His chest rose and fell shakily, red all around his eyes, and dried tears still evident on his cheeks. Even more so, she could see his whole body trembling. 

Setting the lantern on the nightstand, she reached up, shaking the boy’s arm. He awoke with a start, gasping and looking around for whoever woke him. He was tense, almost scared, until his eyes found her looking up at him. 

“So this is where you wandered off to.” She said, resting her hand back on her cane. 

“Uh- Miss Maria….” He started, straightening out his legs. “What are you….?”

“You missed dinner.” She went straight to the point. “And have been missing since we got here.”

Oscar scooted to the edge of the bed, his feet not resting on the floor. “Sorry, I-uh….I just-it’s fine...i’m not really hungry-”

A curt tap of her cane stopped him, “Don’t give me that. You need to eat.”

He looked away from her, his left hand rubbing the rainbow cloth between his fingers. “Okay, i’ll come get some in a little bit…”

“You’re coming right now.”

“Really, i’ll get some later, I will-” His hands fidgeted together, still not looking at her. 

Maria tapped her cane again, grabbing him by the wrist. “Young man, if I believed you would actually do that I wouldn’t be up here.” She pulled him off the bed. “Now grab your bag and that lantern and come downstairs.” 

With no more protest, he obeyed, slinging the backpack over his shoulder and picking up the lantern in his other hand. As soon as he had both, Maria took ahold of his wrist again. “Goodness, child,” she proclaimed, “you’re shaking like a leaf! Come on.” She lead him out of the room, and down the stairs.

She could tell he was hesitant to go down, but her grip on him kept him from stopping or trying to go back up. His head peered into the living room, nervousness plastered all over his face, the trembling getting worse. 

“Everyone else is asleep right now, calm down.” She could feel him relax a little, as she dragged him into the living room and in front of the fireplace, where a small fire was still burning. 

“Sit.” She commanded, letting go of his wrist. Taking another look around the room, at all the other sleeping members of their group, he slowly sat down in front of the fire, crossing his legs, his hands in his lap; trying to curl in on himself again. Walking away for a moment as he sat down, she returned, draping a blanket over his shoulders, slightly startling him as he flinched when the fabric touched him. After a second, he pulled it closer around him, probably now fully accepting how cold he was. She didn’t need to tell him to stay put now, as she walked off again, leaving him in front of the fire. 

 

Oscar kept his gaze on the low fire, keeping the blanket hugged around his body. He could really feel how cold he was and how much he was shaking now that he was around a source of heat. Though he still felt uneasy with everyone else around, now he didn’t have the strength to pull himself away from the warmth, nor dare disobey Miss Maria. Why had she come to get him anyway? She’d only just met all of them and it was their fault she was stuck out here with them anyway, so why?

His thoughts were cut short by the sound of the tap of a cane beside him. The old woman stood above him, holding out a bowl to him.

“Here,” she gave a small smile, “it’s not much, but it’s what we found left behind in the pantry, and it’ll help warm you up.”

Reaching up, he accepted it, as she took a seat next to him on the floor. It looked like some kind of soup, definitely canned kind, but it was better than nothing, and he really was hungry. Slowly he brought the spoon to his lips, taking a bite, finding it wasn’t that bad, and his growling stomach could care otherwise. 

Maria was silent beside him, and he could feel her eyes on him, watching him closely. Now with a clearer head, he realized something: besides Ruby, Maria had been the only one that actually showed any kind of concern towards him after everything in the woods. She’d helped him up, not caring anything about Ozpin, and calming everyone down. And now, when everyone else was sleeping, she’d taken the time to go look for him, force him down here, and essentially take care of him; kind of just like a grandmother would (not that he would know really). 

He opened his mouth to ask her, but she was already cutting him off again.

“Don’t ask me why i’m doing this.”

“I-uh….” He ran his hand through his hair, avoiding her gaze again, “Sorry….”

“Stop apologizing.” She raised her cane, giving a light tap on his head. “I don’t need any reason for my actions.”

“Well,” He dropped his head, looking back down into the nwo empty bowl, “thanks.”

Maria shifted, so she was facing Oscar more. “After everything we all saw today, it’s only natural emotions will run erratic.” She tapped at her “eyes”. “But someone has to keep a calm head, lest things become chaos. Something I learned in my time.”

“I don’t have much experience with these things….” Oscar hung his head, running a finger along the lines in the floor. “This is nothing that I ever expected would happen. I knew things were crazy with,” he gestured vaguely to his head, “this, but now it all seems a mess.”

“Messes happen. It’s what the entire history of Remnant seems to be, especially after what I learned today.” She tapped again at her “eyes”, harder, they clicked and whirred, before going completely wide. “Blast these confounded things….” she muttered. 

“Didn’t you say those needed repairs?”

“Yes,” she huffed, “hopefully they’ll hold out til we get to an actual town, if not, well I can get by for a while without any sight. Had to do it before I got these anyway.” 

“Actually,” Oscar set the bowl to the side, reaching for his bag, “if it’s alright with you, maybe I could take a look at them.” He opened it rummaging around.

“I don’t really have any other options at the moment.”

Finally finding what he was looking for, Oscar pulled out several tools and small mechanical scrap parts. He set the bag on the floor, pulling more out, the rest of the contents of his bag coming out with them. “Okay,” he shifted so he was directly facing her, “I think I can do this without having you take them off.”

“Good, because I wasn’t going to take them off.” 

“Just, uh, hold still,” Oscar gave an awkward smile, as he started working. Carefully, taking out screws and removing little pieces to get to the inner workings. 

“You seem to know your way around mechanics,” Maria said, “Quite impressive for your age.”

“I was reading about Atlas tech before the train to Argus.” Oscar explained, his fingers moving easily around, peering closely at the hardware. “Besides training, there wasn’t much to do in the house we were staying at in Mistral, so I just started reading some books and journals that were around the house about it. I found it really interesting.”

“Well, looks like it’s paying off, huh?” She smiled at him, he stopped, pausing before giving a smile back, a light dusting of pink on his cheeks. 

“Maybe,” he replied, “Okay,” He set the tools down, reaching for one of the scrap pieces. “I think I can temporarily fix it. Looks like some wires were broken off and a power chip got chipped. But, I think I can take some wires and a chip from one of these to replace it until you can get the exact parts you need.”

“Better than nothing. Go right ahead.”

The two stayed silent for a few minutes as Oscar began working again, the crackling of the fire creating the only noise in the room, besides the wind outside, which had grown even stronger in the hours since they arrived. 

A sudden, muffled crash outside boomed, Oscar flinching back and dropping the screwdriver in his hand with a gasp. 

“S-sorry,” he scrambled to pick the tool back up, glancing at the windows nervously. 

“It was probably just a tree outside the fence. The ice on the branches makes it so heavy it can’t hold its own weight. Happens a lot during bad storms like this. I take it you don’t have a lot of experience with this kind of weather.

“Not really.” Oscar said, turning back to her. “I grew up in central Anima, just outside of Mistral. The most we’d get there is some frost or a dusting that would melt by mid-morning.”

“We’ll be fine as long as we’re in here,” She assured him. 

“Right….” He picked up another scrap piece, taking it apart to get what he needed from inside, though Maria didn’t miss his eyes still flickering to the windows. She glanced down at his bag, the rest of the contents spilling out, one of which, an old book, a bit torn on the edges and worn cover, the title barely visible. Reaching over, she picked up the book, grabbing Oscar’s attention. 

“Oh, I know this story!” She exclaimed, inspecting it. “Such an old classic.”

“Yeah,” Oscar breathed out, a small smile, “it’s one of my favorites, i’ve probably read it a hundred times. It’s the only one I took with me when I left my Aunt’s.”

“This is an old copy,” Maria noted, turning it over, flipping through the pages, “has the original prints on the inside, and author signature. You can’t find many of these anymore.”

“It belonged to my parents.” Oscar reached his hands up again, placing the pieces into their places, “They had a whole collection, at least…..at least I think so. Kind of hard to remember….”

“Guess we know where your love of reading comes from then.”

He fit the last piece in, now connecting everything back together. “I was too little to read then, but my parents would read to me. They’d take turns, every night, before bed, we’d sit and they’d read a chapter. Some nights it was my mom, other nights it was my dad. But that one….that one was their favorite. It was the one we picked the most. So, I just…..couldn’t leave home without it.”

Maria set the book down, speaking gently, “I take it your parents aren’t around.”

Oscar looked down, pausing, “Yeah….not for awhile….” Lifting his head back up, he put the final piece back in place, replacing the screws. “Okay, I think i’m done.”

She blinked several times, tapping at them, smiling, “Not perfect, but better than before.” Glancing over to Oscar, she stopped. The tools and scraps were now back in his bag, but he sat still, the book in his hands. He ran his thumb over the cover, carefully opening it, slowly flipping through the pages. 

“You know,” He started, his voice with a low laugh, “I….”, he shook his head, wiping across his nose with a sniffle, “I don’t even have a picture of them. This….” He closed the book, “This is one of the only things I have left of them.” His eyes were hidden by his hair hanging down, but the few tears could be seen as they fell onto the cover of the book. Catching sight of them, Oscar quickly began to rub at his eyes. 

“You deal with loneliness at such a young age.” Maria finally spoke. “Quite frankly, it’s unfair, the situation you’re in.”

“I don’t even know what I should do now. Ozpin’s locked himself in the back of my head so I can’t even talk to him, everyone’s angry at me because of him,” his speech quickened as he went on, “nobody even looks at me  _ as me _ , Qrow won’t even look at me!” He started grabbing at his hair again, only to have one from Maria take one and bring it back down.

“Everyone is stressed right now. Though that certainly didn’t give the right for that man to hit you, even if it was toward this Ozpin.” She placed the other hand over his, just as Ruby did before. “You all need to talk things out, it’s the only way anything will be solved. Trying to ignore it or not doing anything at all will only make things worse. Your friend in the red cape seems to understand this and sees you as you.”

“But what about everyone else? Yang? Qrow?”

She gave a light squeeze, “I know this is overwhelming, but you can make them see that. This is your life, you’re apart of this group too, and your position on things and how  _ you _ feel matter too.”

“Just feels like everything I had with them is gone now….anything that happened, they wouldn’t care…..I know it sounds ridiculous….”

“A lapse in emotions does not break a bond, only the actions taken by them can do that. It may seem bad right now, but when the time comes, the true way they feel will come through, and I guarantee that they care. It just may take a little pushing.”

Taking a deep breath, Oscar squeezed the hand back. 

Maria, released his hand, pushing herself up, picking up her cane, “Now, go and get some  _ proper _ rest. If we’re going to move in the morning, you need your strength.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Oscar grabbed the blanket moving his backpack to lay down near the fire, closing his eyes. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed, and feedback is always appreciated <3


End file.
